Maravi

Sampa was principled, says Sata

Sampa was principled, says Sata
Written by Patson Chilemba
Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:05:20 PM

PATRIOTIC Front (PF) president Michael Sata yesterday said the gap left by the late Chitalu Sampa will be difficult to bridge because he remained sincere to the party under intense pressure from Chiluba and the 'rebel' parliamentarians to defy the party. And Sampa's cousin Ernest Popopo confirmed that the PF national chairman died on Tuesday night around 22:15 hours at the University Teaching Hospital (UTH).

Commenting on Sampa's death, Sata said Sampa remained consistent to the party ideals under several temptations from PF rebel members of parliament and other people like former president Frederick Chiluba.

"People as consistent as the chairman of our party, those are people you could say the gap he has left will be difficult to bridge. He remained principled. He differed with [late president] Levy Mwanawasa because he was close to Chiluba. He lost the mantle in government because of Chiluba. He was together with Peter Machungwa in PUDD, but there is a very big difference with Peter Machungwa in terms of maturity and political sincerity," Sata said. "He was more sincere than all the people he came with from PUDD. You have seen the pressure. The pressure was for him to break away and follow Peter Machungwa to the NCC [National Constitutional Conference], not to resign but to defy the party. As a political party, we had a space in NCC and Chiluba wanted him to use his influence to get some dissidents to NCC."

Sata said Sampa would sadly be missed in the party.

And Popopo said Sampa had been going for medical reviews at the hospital for three months.

He said Sampa came to Lusaka three weeks ago and started receiving treatment at UTH.

"I think he was 77 years old. He has been undergoing different tests. So the main thing was, he was kind of like anaemic. He didn't have enough blood. They couldn't detect where the loss of blood was coming from," Popopo said.

Popopo said Sampa is survived by a wife, 13 children and 20 grandchildren.

Funeral is being held at house number 7, Mukonteka Close, Rhodes Park.

Sampa served as defence minister in Chiluba's regime.

Labels: CHITALU SAMPA, PF, SATA

posted by MrK @ 2:06 PM